How to hire
Match the agent to the job first. A land and estate agent sells homes and land, values property and negotiates offers; a letting agent finds tenants, collects rent and manages the tenancy day to day, and many Telford branches do both from the same desk. Wellington, Oakengates and Ironbridge each have their own high-street offices, the Shopping Centre holds a town-centre branch, and Nock Deighton runs a named Land and New Homes arm for plots and new-build sellers. When you first enquire, say whether you are selling, letting or both, and where the property sits.
Telford and Wrekin adds local wrinkles. The borough holds eight conservation areas, including Wellington town centre and the Severn Gorge, where some works need permission that would pass elsewhere and tree work needs six weeks' notice [11]. The Gorge carries an Article 4 Direction over minor changes and sits inside a World Heritage Site [11] [12]. If your property stands on one of these streets, ask the agent about similar homes it has sold or let there. Landlords eyeing shared houses should also note the council's move toward licensing smaller shared homes [14].
Check redress before you instruct. Every estate agent handling residential property and every letting agent or property manager in England must belong to an approved redress scheme, or face a fine of up to five thousand pounds [4]. The two approved schemes are The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme [4]. Type the business name into the Ombudsman business search and check the name and address that come back match the branch you are hiring [7]. If the name is missing, ask why before you go further.
If you are letting, check client money protection next. Any letting or management agent in England that holds rent or deposits must belong to an approved client money protection scheme, which compensates landlords and tenants if the money cannot be repaid [5]. The agent must display its membership certificate in the office and on its website and provide a copy free to anyone who asks [5]. Propertymark's find-an-expert search shows certified agents across sales and lettings disciplines [8]. Ask for the certificate by name and read which scheme stands behind it.
Know who pays what since the tenant fees ban. From June 2019 almost all charges to tenants in England are banned, leaving only rent, capped tenancy and holding deposits and a short list of permitted payments, so the landlord now contracts and pays for the agent's service [6]. That makes the landlord fee schedule the document that matters: the service tier and monthly percentage, the set-up and inventory charges, any renewal fee and the notice period. Belvoir, Coleman Estates, Newton Fallowell and Foden Property all publish tenant or landlord figures on the page; where a branch publishes nothing, get the whole schedule with VAT in writing before you sign.
Get the sales quote in the same written form. It should name the commission percentage, say whether VAT goes on top, give the tie-in length and notice terms, and list what is included: photographs, floor plans, portal listings, board and accompanied viewings. Check whether the deal is no sale, no fee or whether money changes hands whatever happens, since online fixed-fee deals often take payment up front [1]. Get two or three quotes on the same written scope and treat an outlier, far above or below the rest, as a question rather than a bargain.
A typical sale runs valuation, written quote, signed agreement, listing and viewings, negotiation through the agent, then conveyancing to completion with the fee settled from the proceeds [1]. A typical let runs a rental valuation, a tier chosen from the fee schedule, tenant find with referencing and deposits under the permitted-payments rules, check-in with inventory, then monthly statements until checkout and deposit release [6]. Meet the negotiator who will handle your street at the valuation, and judge the branch on punctuality, specifics and openness about fees.
A written sales quote should name the commission percentage, the VAT position, the tie-in length with notice terms, and everything included, from photographs and floor plans to listings, board and accompanied viewings. A landlord schedule should do the same per tier: the monthly percentage, set-up and inventory charges, renewal terms and what ends the contract. Where building works form part of your plans, permission applications run through the Planning Portal or the council's own advice service [13]. Keep the winning schedule with the signed agreement, filed where you can find it at completion or re-let.
Finish with the paperwork filed, not promised. Sellers should hold the signed agency agreement and the energy performance certificate, which you must order before you market the property and which lasts ten years [10]. Landlords should hold the written tenancy agreement, the inventory and check-in report that records the starting condition, and the deposit paperwork for the tenancy [3] [6]. Photograph meter readings on moving day and keep every quote, invoice and certificate where you can find them at sale or re-let.
Pricing
As of summer 2026, selling through a high-street agent on a sole-agency deal typically costs 1% to 1.8% plus VAT, with Rightmove putting the 2025 average at around 1.3% including VAT [1]. The HomeOwners Alliance puts the 2026 average at 1.42% including VAT, with multi-agency deals running 2% to 3.6% [2]. Online agents offer fixed fees, often £500 to £1,500 and frequently payable up front whether the property sells or not [1].
Letting fees sit with the landlord since the tenant fees ban, and full management typically runs 8% to 12% of the monthly rent plus VAT, with around 10% the common benchmark [3]. Rent collection without day-to-day management runs roughly 5% to 8%, while let-only tenant-find is a one-off charge, often around a month's rent or a flat £400 to £1,500 [3]. Set-up, inventory and renewal fees sit outside the headline percentage and vary widely between branches [3].
Three things move the price most: the service tier you choose, the property itself, and what sits outside the headline rate. Homes needing hands-on management cost more than quiet lets, portfolio landlords can often negotiate the percentage down, and add-ons such as inventories, renewals and void cover stack several hundred pounds across a year that the headline rate does not show [3]. VAT is the quietest uplift of all: most agents quote exclusive of the 20% rate, so an advertised 10% really costs 12% of your rent [3].
Get the whole schedule in writing before you sign: every percentage and flat fee with VAT included, the tie-in and notice period, and exactly which services each tier covers. Most branches in this round publish no sales fee scale, so the written quote does the talking — compare two or three on the same scope and keep the winning schedule with the signed agreement.
Selling splits into private treaty, auction and multi-agency work, and the price follows the effort. A straightforward sole-agency sale of a town-centre home sits at the calmer end, while homes with land, Gorge cottages under conservation controls, or multi-agency contests add marketing and paperwork that lift the percentage [1] [11].
Letting splits into tenant-find, rent collection and full management, and the price follows the workload. A single let to a settled tenant on a modern estate needs little beyond referencing and check-in, while portfolio lets, older stock needing call-outs, or shared houses near licensing changes need diary time the headline percentage does not show [3] [14].
Red flags
The business does not appear when you search its name on the approved redress scheme registers [4] [7].
A letting agent that handles rent or deposits shows no client money protection certificate on its website or in its office [5].
The sales quote names a commission without saying whether VAT goes on top or how long the tie-in lasts.
A letting agent asks you, as the tenant, for charges outside the short permitted-payments list [6].
The valuation arrives without a visit and without questions about condition, tenure or chain.
You are pressed to sign a long sole-agency tie-in on the first visit with no written terms to take away.
A new tenancy starts with no written agreement and no inventory or check-in report.
A new tenancy begins with a few phone photos and no written inventory or check-in report.
A letting agent that handles your rent cannot produce its client money protection certificate when asked [5].